Cordless trimmer

[RoyM]

I had a chance to try out an Oregon 40V cordless trimmer today, a straight shaft unit with .095 line. It worked well, cleaned up the weeds with no fuss. Easy to use and quiet.
Having said that, I don't believe it will replace the gas trimmer for the landscape professional in the near future. It doesn't have the torque for the heavy stuff like thistle and will require a recharging station or a more than a couple of batteries to keep a crew going all day. I admit it though, I am a hard core two stroke guy and a bit of a Luddite.

[bgsengine]

Yeah. just wait 'til CORE outdoor power equipment makes its way north of the border.. It is supposed to be excellent technology with high torque capability suitable for professional use.

But, having said that - we at one time sold Worx, which , after a couple years, we came to realize we have no faith in the company, do not like their business ethics or practices, and strongly disagree with their marketing tactics - blaring in big headlines a 2-year warranty and then in small print noting the batteries are 1 year warranty, which we've started to find, typically have lasted just long enough to be out of warranty, then the customers we sold a $139.95 trimmer to, find they have to spend another $100 to replace the battery 13 or 14 months later.. We've given away several batteries on our dime under "warranty" as customer service, as I feel we should stand behind a product we sold for the warranty period that was marketed.. but a lot of those machines are now sitting gathering dust or in the recycle bin and those customers came back and bought an Echo trimmer, or went and got a cheaper Black and Decker or something. We liquidated our entire Worx inventory for whatever we could get out of it, and no longer carry it.

With that experience, we've pretty much sworn off pushing any cordless outdoor power products for the time being, until the market starts to solidify and the better brands that actually do business with some ethics start to come to the forefront, we might consider taking something on.. so we're in a "wait and see" sort of phase - might take on Oregon, maybe CORE, but not until we've seen some actual history and results and feedback from the real world.

It is a great idea and concept, and customers did like the Worx otherwise due to their light weight and ease of use and handling, but, I think the industry needs a little fleshing out and some time to mature, as people discover the poor value when a replacement battery costs almost as much as a whole new machine.. with lots of plastic going to recycling centers or landfills, it ain't quite so green anymore, is it?

[RoyM]

We also are the CORE distributor for Canada but I have yet to try one. As you point out the big problem with this type of product is batteries, they are expensive to buy, expensive to dispose of, and the life is not there yet. The consumers are buying into it in droves, they see it as an inexpensive environmentally friendly alternative to noisy, dirty gas engines but there is no free lunch.
I agree with your take on Worx, we sell the machines, chargers and batteries but somebody else handles the parts. It has not been a satisfactory relationship, sales are flat, so I am waiting to see what happens.